Retro and Simple

[Tactician]

I would have imagined that taking all the circuits and resistors out of the line that the pick up would sound wide open and airy. More twang. I just don't understand why that would be distorted on your bass. Are you certain this distortion isn't coming from an impedence mismatch - overloading the input - and turning the volume down is correcting it? If you are overloading the preamp you're introducuing distortion in the amp by overdriving it, it's not actually a problem with the output of the bass.

 

[Squidfinger]

I would have imagined that taking all the circuits and resistors out of the line that the pick up would sound wide open and airy. More twang. I just don't understand why that would be distorted on your bass. Are you certain this distortion isn't coming from an impedence mismatch - overloading the input - and turning the volume down is correcting it? If you are overloading the preamp you're introducuing distortion in the amp by overdriving it, it's not actually a problem with the output of the bass.

I've done a lot of experimenting and that's the way the volume knob works. It doesn't matter what gain/volume setting I put on the amp it'll sound distorted if the volume knob is at 100%. But get this, if I open the tone knob up wide (I usually cut it back to like 20%) it doesn't do this. It doesn't go from distorted to clean in the 100%-80% range.


Hmmmm.

 

[Tactician]

I still think you've some sort of overloading going on here. I just don't see how a pick-up wired directly to an amp can distort, unless you have a mismatch in the impedience of the PU and what the amp needs at the input.

You need a circuit tester and the instruction manual of the amp. What does the amp need? Test the resistance of the PU.

Somebody help me on this (!) as I'm not techie but I'm sure this is a simple problem.

 

[macahan]

here's a very retro design with a (big) modern touch but with just an on/off switch..
I'd love to have one of theese..

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